FJC Process: Board of Regents announces faculty and academic cuts

Brennan LaBrie
News Editor

Ben Leschensky
Reporter

Pacific Lutheran University’s Board of Regents have announced their final decisions for faculty reductions as the Faculty Joint Committee (FJC) process draws to a close. The Board, which deliberated for two days on President Allan Belton’s recommendations, shared their final cuts in a campus-wide email sent out by the President on Monday, March 29.

Thirty six full-time equivalent (FTE) faculty positions will be cut, according to the announcement. The email specified that the German and Nordic Studies majors will be discontinued, as would minors in Classical Studies, German and Norwegian. Additionally, the Master of Science in Finance degree will also be eliminated. The 36 reductions announced by the Board are less than the approximately 39 cuts formally recommended to them by Belton, according to a document shared with The Mast that detailed the President’s recommendations. Belton based his suggestions off of those of the FJC and Provost.

In the President’s recommended reductions, the Division of Humanities saw the most cuts, followed by the Division of Social Sciences, the School of Arts and Communication and the Division of Natural Sciences. The schools of Nursing and Education & Kinesiology faced no recommended reductions, and the School of Business only one. While no interdisciplinary programs face reductions or discontinuation as part of the President’s recommendations, these programs draw faculty from a wide range of departments, some of which do face reductions.

“This has been a challenging undertaking for all involved, and one we continue to view as necessary,” said Board Chair Ed Grogan. “This work is about finding a balance between preserving our academic richness while achieving necessary stewardship of our current and future resources. These decisions are all the more difficult because of their impact on valued colleagues. As President Belton reminded us when making his recommendations, each discontinued program is a loss of academic perspective, and each position is a person equally dedicated to PLU’s mission.“

Belton voiced his support of the Board’s decision in a statement provided to The Mast on Monday morning.

“I believe that the Board of Regents decision finds the balance between preserving our academic richness and rigor while achieving the savings we need to ensure the long-term financial stability of the university,” he said.

Provost Gregson echoed this in her own statement to The Mast, saying “The Board’s decisions reflect an effort to align our enduring commitment to an academic program that integrates liberal arts and professional studies, founded on the principles of Lutheran Higher Education, alongside competing tensions brought about by enrollment pressures, student demand, and a faculty body built for a larger student population.”

While the Board’s announcement doesn’t detail which exact departments will face cuts, students can expect to learn more about program reshuffling and curriculum changes during the 2021-2022 school year, according to Provost Gregson. Additionally, course offerings won’t begin to change until the 2022-2023 school year at the earliest, according to President Belton in the campus-wide email. The Board’s decisions will not influence students’ ability to graduate, receive financial aid, or partake in the PLUS Year. Students in affected programs will receive support through resources such as the Center for Student Success.

The FJC was convened by PLU in November to address financial exigency, which the Faculty Handbook defines as a “demonstrably bona fide situation in which the university faces an imminent financial crisis which threatens the survival of the institution as a whole and which cannot reasonably be alleviated by less drastic means.” The PLU FJC page credits this financial exigency to “rising costs, decreasing revenue and a smaller pool of applicants,” due to nationwide demographic trends. The reductions, Grogan said, are “challenging” but crucial for PLU’s longevity. 

While the challenges facing PLU may not be unique, Chair of the Faculty Bridget Yaden believes that the way PLU has responded is unique – letting the faculty lead the review process for reductions. In a statement to The Mast, Yaden said that the faculty-led joint committee exemplifies a “long tradition of strong shared governance” at PLU.

“The FJC process is faculty developed and gives us the right and the responsibility to participate in decisions relating to our programs and our colleagues,” she said. “It is an emotional and difficult task that faculty undertake, but it is the way we have designed it.”

The Board’s announcement is the final step detailed on the FJC Resources for Students Page, but according to documents obtained by The Mast, a few key dates remain. The period between March 29th and April 26th will see Human Resources, the Provost, and deans of affected departments begin to apply the FTE reductions, discuss which faculty members should be retained, and develop plans for what programs will look like with the Board’s decisions in mind. On April 27th, Human Resources and the Provost will finalize their reductions, and faculty facing terminal contracts will be notified on April 28th.

“This entire process has filled me with competing pulls of gratitude and sadness,” Gregson told The Mast. “Like all of my colleagues, I grieve the departure of valued colleagues and the discontinuation of valuable academic programs. That grief is countered with waves of gratitude as I think of the transformative educational experiences these colleagues have made possible, and when I think of their many contributions to this university and to our community of teacher-scholars.”

Provost Gregson, President Belton, and Yaden all expressed gratitude towards the 20 faculty members who served on the FJC, as well as all PLU faculty, who, as Belton put it, “have been asked to complete the additional work required of units as part of this faculty-led process, who have dealt with uncertainty and grief, and who have done so with strength, professionalism, and a deep commitment to one another.” Belton further thanked the staff and administration members who supported this process.

These faculty members, Yaden said, “spent countless hours writing reports and thinking about the future of their programs and their colleagues, while continuing to show up for our students and each other during these very challenging times.”  

Dr. Yaden encourages students to embody PLU’s mission of care and support their professors during this process. 

“Your professors are experiencing a wide range of emotions right now,” she said. “Understand we as faculty are all processing the final recommendations and planning our next steps. Continue to show up for your classes as a way to let us know what we mean to you. Send us a short email note just saying hello and that you are thinking of us.”

The Board of Regents made it clear in their statement they stand with faculty, too. 

“As our friends and colleagues face the prospect of career transition, we are committed to remaining a community of care, honoring their service, and providing support and resources in the year ahead.” Grogan said.

While the FJC process has left a sour taste in many peoples’ mouths, Belton sees reason for optimism. 

“This is very much an inflection point in the institutional life of our beloved university — one that will require us to grieve, find strength in community and our mission, and move forward in shared purpose for a brighter future,” he said. 

A third student forum on the FJC process will be held on Monday, April 12 from 5:30 to 6:30, and will focus on student questions surrounding the ramifications of the FJC decision. Students can RSVP at this link. In the meantime, Belton recommends that students contact advisors at the Center for Student Success at success@plu.edu with any questions.

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